IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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1.0 


I.I 


2.5 


1.25 


2.2 
20 

U    11.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corpomtlon 


^^ 


V 


:\ 


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V 


73  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  M580 

(716)  872-4503 


<«^>. 


^^^  "^Ji^ 


A 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


vV 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


I    Coloured  covers/ 
V  I    Couverture  de  couleur 


r~T1    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pelliculde 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
havtii  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  dt6  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdlhode  normale  de  filmajjo 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
0 
D 


D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag6es 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pelliculdes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolor^es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


The 
to  tl 


The 
posi 
of  tl 
film 


Oric 

beg 

the 

sior 

oth( 

first 

sior 

or  11 


□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualitd  in6gale  de  I'impression 

I      I    Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Ccmprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6X6  filmdes  d  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 


The 
shal 
TIN 
whi 

Mai 
diff( 
enti 
beg 
righ 
reqi 
met 


Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction 
10X                            14X                            18X 

indiqud  ci-dessous 
22X 

26X 

30X 

v^ 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

I 

tails 
i  du 
odifier 
une 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Glenbow- Alberta  Institute 
Calgary 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  Iceeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


L'exempiaire  film^  fut  reproduit  grdce  i  la 
g^n^rosit^  de: 

Glenbow-Alberta  Institute 
Calgary 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduitas  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  netteti  de  I'axemplaire  film6,  et  an 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  fiUmis  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmte  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "I.  or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  uhaque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »■  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmis  d  des  taux  de  rMuction  diffirents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Stre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supirieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droits, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


irrata 
to 


pelure. 
n  d 


□ 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

.3 


j4-.- 


> 


7a^  K,  fn.-  fr.^  W 


SOME  OBSERVATIONS 


ON  THE 


Illecellewaet  and  Asulkan  Glaciers 

of  British  C.>olumbia. 


BY 


George  and  William  S.  Vaux,  Jr. 


From  the  Proceedings  of 

The  Academy  of  Naiural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia, 

February  7th,  1899. 


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1899.] 


NATiiiAi.  s(  ii;\(  I's  or  riiii.ADi.i.riiiA. 


121 


[       SOME  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  ILLECELLEWAET  AND  ASULKAN 
GLACIERS  OF  BRITISH  COLUMBIA. 

BY    GEOltdE    AND    WILLIAM    S.    VAUX,    Jli. 

With  but  a  very  few  exceptions  it  seeras  to  bo  a  rule  at  tlic 
present  time  that  all  trlaciors  are  receding  up  the  valley?;  into  which 
they  extend.  Whether  this  will  be  a  permanent  leccssion,  or 
whether  a  period  will  come  during  which  an  advance  will  take  place, 
time  alone  will  tell.  That  there  has  been  a  pennanent  recession 
the  numerous  moraines  below  the  prominent  glaciers  bear  ample 
witness,  but  they  also  show  that  there  have  been  many  advances 
between  the  jicriods  of  recession. 

The  glaciers  of  the  Canadian  Rockies  offer  many  attractions  to 
those  interested  in  their  action,  both  on  account  of  the  newness  of 
the  region  iu  which  they  are  located  and  their  marked  .activity. 
The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  without  which  this  region  would  be 
almost  inaccessible,  was  first  o))ened  but  a  little  over  a  dozen 
years  ago,  and  before  that  time  it  was  practically  an  unbroken 
wilderness.  Among  the  most  accessible  glaciers  from  the  line  of 
the  railway  are  those  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Glacier  House,  which 
is  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  Selkirk  range,  at  an  elevation  of 
4,122  feet  above  sea  level.  With  this  point  as  a  centre  a  score  of 
glaciers  nuiy  be  reached.  It  seems  to  form  a  natural  station  for 
their  observation. 

The  most  accessible,  and  in  some  respects  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable, is  the  Great  or  Illecellewaet  (ilacicr,  situated  about  one 
and  one-half  miles  iu  a  direct  line  from  the  station.  The  inunense 
neve  which  feeds  it,  lies  on  the  top  of  the  range  forming  the  divide, 
and  from  it  several  branches  flow  down  into  as  many  valleys.  The 
Great  Glacier  is  notable  on  two  accounts:  its  freedom  from  dirt  at 
its  foot,  and  the  remarkable  rapidity  of  the  ice  fall.  One  of  the 
first  persons  to  make  observations  on  this  glacier  was  Dr.  William 
S.  Green,  F.R.G.8.,  who  in  1)^88  spent  some  time  in  surveying 
and  exploring  the  region.  He  records  that  in  twelve  days  the  cen- 
tre of  the  ice  moved  twenty  feet,  while  at  ihe  side  it  moved  only 


122 


i'i;<)(  i;i;iuN(;s  oi'  tmi:  .\<  adioiv  oi' 


[IS'.MI. 


seven  feet.  He  iilso  notes  "  that  tin.'  snout  of  the  glacier  showed 
evidence  of  retreiit,  for  there  were  two  rows  of  hoiddtrs  in  front  of 
it.  Tiie  outer  one,  about  si.xty  feet  from  the  iee,  seemed  to  havt; 
licen  dropped  tlie  previous  year;  the  inner  row  (Uirini;-  the  present 
year.'" 

Since  tliat  time  the  glacier  lias  been  visited  l»y  a  number  of  |)er- 
sons  who  have  located  the  snout  as  respeet.i  certain  marked  roeks, 
or  in  some  other  way,  but  in  many  instances  the  record  has  become 
lost  or  uncertain  so  as  to  be  of  little  value.  At  the  present  time 
the  glacier  is  rapidly  recedini--,  and  from  an  examination  of  the 
bare  moraine  and  scrub  below  it,  there  seems  to  be  evidence  that 
this  has  been  going  on  actively  tor  a  comparatively  short  period. 

July  1(),  l-SiSj — one  year  before  Dr.  (Jreen — we  iirst  visited 
the  glacier,  and  made  u  number  of  photographs  of  its  foot  (PI. 
III).  These  photographs,  after  a  lapse  of  over  eleven  years,  make 
possible  an  exceedingly  interesting  comparison  of  the  jjosition  of 
the  ice.  At  the  ju'esent  time  there  is  a  broad  space  of  loose 
boulders  below  the  .«.nout,  utterly  devoid  of  vegetation.  In  i8.S7 
alder  bushes  grew  within  twenty  feet  of  the  ice.  The  slope  of 
the  ice  was  also  very  ditterent  from  what  it  is  now.  Tliere  was 
then  a  great  mass  with  stee[)  sides  extending  over  the  present  bare 
.space,  while  now  the  ice  slopes  comparatively  evenly  till  it  dies 
away  altogether  in  the  stream.  The  fact  that  during  eleven  years 
the  alder  bushes  have  not  advanced  on  the  retreat  of  the  ice,  and 
that  in  1HS7,  when  the  photographs  were  taken,  they  Avere  so  close 
to  it,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  at  least  for  a  score  of  years  pre- 
vious to  1887  the  glacier  had  not  extended  materially  further  into 
tlie  vallev  than  it  did  at  that  time.  Taking;  into  consideration  the 
border  moraine  marking  the  position  of  the  ice  in  1 887,  the  alder 
bushes  which  then,  as  now,  grew  up  to  the  lower  side  of  the  mo- 
raine, and  which  have  increased  l)ut  little  in  size  during  the  eleven 
years,  and  the  characteristic  steepness  of  the  slope  of  the  ice,  it 
would  seem  probable  that  a  period  of  advance  had  occurred  shortly 
before  the  year  1887.  One  very  small  moraine  about  200  feet 
from  the  snout  of  1898  showed  an  insigniHcaut  advance  since  that 
period,  but  apart  from  this  the  motion  of  the  glacier  ai)pears  to 
have  been  only  of  recession. 

'  Anioug  the  Selkirk  (ilaoiers,  hv  W.  S.  Greeu.  Maemillan  &  Co.,  l-<!)0, 
p.  21!). 


I 


iSil!).]  NATriiAi-  s(  ii;n(  i:s  oi-   |'iiii.aih:i,1'IIIA.  \'2'y 

JMiotoi^niphy  ^eeiiis  Id  offer  the  iiio.st  ^ati?<tjict()rv  means  of  jitM-- 
iiuuiently  rccorflini,'  the  position  of  the  ice  from  year  to  year.  On 
onr  visit,  therefore,  to  the  ( !reat  (llaeier  in  lH!),s,  a  hiru;-e  roeli  was 
chosen  on  the  sonth  side  of  the  trail,  below  the  bridge,  and  some 
five  hundred  yards  from  the  iee  foot.  The  1S!)S  test  view  was 
taken  from  this  position  on  the  IDth  of  August  (  IM.  V).  The 
umal)  moraine  in  the  lower  ri<,flit-hand  corner  is  the  one  mentioned 
by  Dr.  Orcen,  and  shown  in  the  pictures  of  1S87.  The  lar<j:e 
rock  marked  '*  E  "  was  then  partly  encased  in  the  ice,  as  will  be 
seen  in  the  centre  of  tlie  liSHT  picture,  and  forms  a  most  excellent 
point  for  identification  (  PI.  IV).  In  conjunction  with  the  photo- 
graph a  number  of  rani^e  rocks  on  the  moraine  were  selected  and 
marked  for  identification.  The  rocks  "  li  "  and  "  I)  "  on  tlie 
photograph  were  chosen  because  they  were  of  unusual  size,  and 
were  far  enougli  fi-om  the  ice  to  prevent  any  movement.  A  line 
tlrawn  between  them  August  17,  181)8,  passed  eighteen  inches 
below  the  extreme  snout  of  the  glacier  at  "  H."  "  B  "  is  a  large 
rock,  with  a  triangular  black  mark  on  the  nortli  side.  It  was 
lettered  with  Venetian  red  paint  as  follows: 

•ri6i-iI-ITIA 


VI1I-17-'IH. 

■"I)''  is  a  yellow  rock  which  has  l)een  split  in  halves.  It  was 
marked  on  one  piece,  "  Rock  opposite  lines  with  snout,  VIII-17- 
'98,"  and  on  the  side  opposite  with  a  vertical  line  and  two  arrows. 
The  rock  "  (1  "  was  not  marked,  but  nuiy  be  easily  identified  by 
the  photograph.  Its  highest  point  was  fifty -nine  feet  to  the  nearest 
iee  on  August  17,  189!^. 

To  locate  the  position  of  the  snout,  the  rock  "  C,"  a  long, 
rounded  boulder,  was  chosen.  It  was  marked  "  ()()'  0"  to  snout, 
VIII-17-'9«,"  and  with  arrows. 

During  the  warm  weather  of  August  the  rate  of  recession  was 
very  rapid,  and  a  few  days  made  a  marked  change  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  ice.  October  21,  1«!»8,  .Mr.  Hugh  B.  Walkem,  of 
Vancouver,  visited  the  glacier  and  compared  the  position  of  the 
ice  with  the  rocks  marked  by  us,  sixty-eight  days  before.  He 
found  that  the  snout  had  receded  forty-six  feet  in  that  interval,  or 
eight  and  one-tenth  inches  per  day. 

As  respects  the  annual  rate  of  recession  it  is  hard  to  obtain  reli- 


124 


ri:<i(  i;i:i)iN<i^  oi'   riii:  acadiomy  «iI' 


[|Hn9. 


ul)l('  flatii  nn  :i  fomidatiim.  There  are  several  roeks  on  the  lUDraiiiO' 
which  l)ear  marks  or  ihites  as  old  as  IS'JO,  hut  most  of  them  are  so 
worn  as  to  lie  almost  ille^^ihle.  We  found  one,  however,  near  the 
border  moraine  above  referred  to  whieh,  if  it  had  not  been  moved, 
indicated  that  in  Au5,'ust,  18!(0,  the  snout  was  sixteen  feet  al)ove  a 
certain  mark.  The  distance  from  that  mark  to  the  snout  in 
August,  18!(8,  was  four  hundred  and  fifty- two  (4")2)  feet,  or  an 
averaj.fe  animal  recession  of  fifty-six  (")(> )  feet,  <lurin<^  the  period  of 
eight  years.  There  is  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  for  a  part 
(>r  this  perioil  the  glacier  remained  more  nearly  stationary,  and  in 
the  rciiuiining  years  nwide  up  for  the  deficiency  by  a  nmch  more 
rapid  molting  away. 

The  Asidkan  fllacier  being  situated  at  the  head  of  tlie  valley  of 
the  same  name  and  al)out  four  miles  distant  from  the  Glacier  House 
is  not  nearly  so  easy  of  access  for  oiiservation.  Its  neve  is  con- 
nected with  that  of  the  Tll'cellewaet  over  the  ridge  which  separates 
them,  so  that  while  they  fiow  into  separate  valleys  they  rise  from 
practically  the  same  source.  We  are  not  aware  that  any  work  has 
been  done  upon  this  glacier,  as  it  is  probably  not  visited  by  more 
than  a  score  of  persons  lu  the  course  of  the  year.  The  rapidly 
descending  stream  from  its  foot,  which  is  joined  l)y  another  from 
the  glaciers  in  the  immense  amphitheatre  to  the  east,  passes  through 
a  narrow  canon  a  (piarter  of  a  mile  below  the  .'■nout.  In  this  cafion 
there  appeared  to  be  no  sign  of  glacial  action,  which  would  indicate 
that  the  ice  had  extended  below  this  point  only  before  the  formation 
of  the  canon,  A  very  large  moraine  flanking  the  glacier  on  the 
west  also  pointed  to  the  fact  that  the  ice  had  not  receded  materially 
in  recent  years. 

The  same  methods  were  pursued  here  as  in  the  case  of  the 
lUecellewaet  Glacier.  A  very  large  rock,  the  top  of  >v!iich  was 
smoothly  glaciated,  was  chosen  on  the  east  side  of  tlie  stream  below 
the  glacier,  and  the  test  })icture  was  taken,  August  23,  1898  (I'l. 
VI).  While  it  records  the  general  outline  of  the  ice,  it  does  not 
locate  the  snout,  which  seemed  to  be  deeply  buried  in  moraine. 
Apart  from  thus  fixing  the  position  of  the  ice  on  this  date,  it  was 
impossible  to  draw  any  conclusions,  as  there  are  no  previous  record* 
with  which  to  make  comparisons. 


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